by Alexander O. Onukwue
On Wednesday, 26th July, the Nigerian Senate passed thirty-three bills as part of a Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The bills included very significant and concrete steps that should elevate Youth participation in politics, women in Government, and a greater pace of administration by the Executive. The Senate’s vote on allowing for Independent Candidature was ‘YES’.
The amendments passed today represent a monumental shift from the status quo in very significant aspects of Nigerian politics and Governance. From the separation of the offices of the Attorney Generals of the Federation and States, from those of the Minister and Commissioners of Justice, to the requirement that elected Executives submit Ministerial and Commissioners’ Lists within a 30-day period after swearing-in, it is arguably the single biggest day of the Bukola Saraki-led Senate in its two years since 2015.
For an arm of Government so despised, it is a day to praise their courage and to commend their commitment to seeing to the actualization of these long term yearnings of many Nigerians.
Not every one of the bills came out as expected. The main example would be the Not Too Young To Run bill, which sought to bring down the age limit for contesting for the Presidency from 40 to 30; the Senate voted YES on 35.
Nevertheless, it was still a score in favour of the Youth with the approbation now granted for Independent candidature. Before the Senate’s votes, the coordinators of the Campaign announced they would create a kind of Hall of Fame for those who vote in favour of the Bill; that would be no more than the Senators deserve.
The amendments passed today are not quite as momentous as landing a man on the moon, but it won’t be much of an exaggeration to regard them as one little leap for Nigeria’s growing democracy.
